Message from the Mayor
As Mayor of Sorell, I welcome this week’s announcement of a major boost to housing supply across Tasmania. This includes the long‑planned growth area south of the Arthur Highway at Sorell East, near the Sorell Bypass.
This is good news, especially for first home buyers. Increasing the amount of housing available gives more people a real chance to enter the market, both here in Sorell and across Tasmania. More supply helps improve affordability and gives people more choice.
Sorell East is not new to Council. It’s an area we have been planning for many years, with a strong focus on making sure growth is well thought‑out and supported by the right infrastructure from the start.
The current proposal for Sorell East includes:
- Around 1,400 to 2,000 new homes
- About 160 hectares of serviced land
- Development staged over time, through to 2034
A development of this size needs to be done properly. That means making sure essential infrastructure is planned and funded upfront, with contributions shared between all levels of government, service providers and developers.
Importantly, this is about more than just building houses. Sorell East will provide better access to essential services closer to home, which is a key part of building a more self-sustaining and cohesive community with infrastructure that supports everyone.
For our community, this means:
- More housing choice, including better opportunities for first home buyers
- New parks, open spaces and community facilities
- A planned K–12 school and other services being progressed by the Catholic Archdiocese of Hobart
- Land set aside for local convenience retail plus the potential to allocate land for future jobs, helping create local employment, reduce travel outside Sorell for work, and strengthen our local economy
Sorell is growing, and that growth needs to be carefully managed. Our priority is to make sure it is planned, supported by the right infrastructure, and delivers real, long‑term benefits for the people who live here today and for future generations.